Teacher Discrimination Reduces School Performance of African American Youth: Role of Gender

Abstract

Background: Gender may alter African Americans’ vulnerability to discrimination. The type of outcomes that follow exposure to discrimination may also be gender-specific. Although teacher discrimination is known to deteriorate school performance, it is yet unknown whether male and female African American youth differ in the effect of teacher discrimination on school performance. Objective: This cross-sectional study explored the moderating role of gender on the effect of teacher discrimination on school performance in a national sample of African American youth. Methods: The National Survey of American Life-Adolescent Supplement (NSAL-A) enrolled a nationally representative sample (n = 810) of 13–17-year-old African American youth. Demographic factors, socioeconomic status, teacher discrimination, and school performance (grade point average, GPA) were measured. Linear multivariable regression models were applied for data analysis. Results: Males and females reported similar levels of perceived teacher discrimination. In the pooled sample, higher teacher discrimination was associated with lower school performance among African American youth (b = −0.35; 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.49 to −0.22). Gender interacted with perceived teacher discrimination (b = 12; 95% CI = 0.24–2.02), suggesting a significant difference between males and females in the magnitude of the association between perceived teacher discrimination and GPA. In stratified models, perceived teacher discrimination was associated with worse school performance of females (b = −12; 95% CI = −0.03 to −2.78) but not males (b = 0.01; 95% CI = −0.07 to 0.08). Conclusion: In line with previous studies, gender was found to alter the vulnerability of African American youth to perceived discrimination. African American boys and girls may differ in their sensitivity to the effects of teacher discrimination on school performance.

African Americans’ Diminished Returns of Parental Education on Adolescents’ Depression and Suicide in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study

“…African American adolescents receive smaller academic benefits from their parental education than their white counterparts [61,62]. In another study, MDRs were found for inhibitory control [63], impulsivity [19], aggression [4], school performance [64], depression [29], and anxiety [5].…”

Diminished Returns of Parental Education in Terms of Youth School Performance: Ruling out Regression toward the Mean

“…We have previously argued that MDRs may be due to racism and discrimination in the US education system and labor market. As a result of racism, segregation, and social stratification, schools have fewer resources in the areas where ethnic minorities receive an education [29,59]. Another mechanism of the MDRs is the US labor market.…”

“…Blacks are more likely to gain their education in an inner-city school, which are low in resources. Black children and youth commonly experience discrimination [29,30]. Such discrimination increases the risk of problems across domains [24,25,31].…”

Parental Education Attainment and Educational Upward Mobility; Role of Race and Gender

“…That means, some of the processes involved in racism may differ for males and females. For instance, discrimination by the education system [ 94 ], labor market [ 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 ], police, and correctional setting [ 100 , 101 , 102 ] may be worse for males than females. These may explain why experience and vulnerability to discrimination is worse for African American males than females [ 40 ], why high SES increases vulnerability to discrimination [ 103 ], why education attainment protects female but not male African Americans [ 18 ], and why high SES African American men and boys but not women and girls are more depressed [ 42 , 83 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 ].…”